Subscribe

3rd grade · Science · Unit 10 of 12

Sun, Earth, Moon & Planets

How Earth and the Moon move, and the planets in order from the Sun.

What your child practices

Practices that Earth orbits the Sun and the Moon orbits Earth, how long those orbits take, and the order of the eight planets from the Sun.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.9(A); 3.9(B) · the orbits of Earth and the Moon, and the order of the planets from the Sun

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Earth orbits the Sun once a year. The Moon orbits Earth about once a month.
  2. Eight planets orbit the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.
  3. Try: My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Noodles.

Example: Which planet is fourth from the Sun? Mercury 1, Venus 2, Earth 3… Mars is 4. Answer: Mars

Sun, Earth, Moon & Planets in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 10 of 12 in 3rd grade Science, after Texas Fossils and before Weather, Soil & Sudden Changes.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which is at the center of our solar system?

    • Earth
    • The Moon
    • The Sun
    • Jupiter

  2. Question 2

    About how long does Earth take to orbit the Sun once?

    • One week
    • One day
    • One year
    • One hour

  3. Question 3

    What does Earth orbit?

    • Mars
    • A comet
    • The Sun
    • The Moon

  4. Question 4

    Which planet is second from the Sun?

    • Earth
    • Venus
    • Mercury
    • Mars

  5. Question 5

    Which planet is seventh from the Sun?

    • Jupiter
    • Saturn
    • Neptune
    • Uranus

  6. Question 6

    Which takes longer: one Earth orbit of the Sun or one Moon orbit of Earth?

    • Neither moves
    • They take the same time
    • Earth's orbit of the Sun
    • The Moon's orbit of Earth

More 3rd grade